My thoughts on the Phillies season.

Results tagged ‘ Rain Delay ’

Surviving both a 45 mins. rain delay and a late Marlins’ rally, the Phils defeat the pesky fish, 6-4.

The Marlins took the lead in the first as, with one man on, and with two men out, Giancarlo Stanton hits an RBI double, knocking in Omar Infante, who had earlier singled, giving the Marlins a 1-0 lead. The Phils would take the lead in their half of the first as, with the bases loaded, via three straight singles by Placido Polanco, Hunter Pence and Carlos Ruiz, and with two men out, Hector Luna hits a two-run single, knocking in Polanco and Pence, giving the Phils a 2-1 lead, while sending Ruiz on to third. The score would remain 2-1 through the next three innings, as Phils’ starter Kyle Kendrick continuously played Houdini, escaping several Marlins attempts to either tie the game or take the lead. Before the fifth inning would start, the game was stopped as the rain came down harder, with the rain delay lasting around 45 minutes before the game resumed. After Kendrick got through the top of the fifth, the Phils would finally add to their lead in their half of the fifth as, with one man on, and with nobody out, Pence hits a two-run home run, his twelfth home run of the year, knocking in Polanco, who had started the inning off with a double, giving the Phils a 4-1 lead. The Marlins got a run back in the sixth as, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, Jose Reyes hit into a 4-3-6 doubleplay, becoming the inning’s second out, before pinch hitter Donnie Murphy, who had earlier singled, is tagged out at second base by Jimmy Rollins, while Chris Coghlan, who had earlier singled, then went to third base on Murphy’s single, would score, cutting the Phils’ lead down to 4-2. The Phils would get the run back in their half of the sixth as, with a man on third, and with one men out, Rollins hits an RBI ground out to first, three-unassisted, knocking in Freddy Galvis, who had earlier doubled, then went to third on pitch hitter Pete Orr’s sacrifice bunt, 1-3, giving the Phils a 5-2 lead. The Phils then added to their lead in the seventh as, with a man on third, and with one man out, Luna hits an RBI double, scoring Pence, who had started the inning off with a single, then moved up to second base on Chad Gaudin’s wild pitch, before going to third base on Gaudin’s balk, giving the Phils a 6-2 lead, while sending Ty Wigginton, who had just walked, on to third base. The Marlins would get a run back in the eighth as Logan Morrison hits a lead-off home run, his fourth home run of the year, cutting the Phils’ lead to 6-3. The Marlins then made it a 6-4 Phils’ lead as pinch hitter Justin Ruggiano hits a solo home run, his first home run of the season. But that would end up being the final score as Jonathan Papelbon would pitch a five-out save, for his fifteenth save of the year, first coming in with a bases loaded, one-out situation as John Buck got on base with a walk, to be followed by singles by pinch hitter Donovan Solano and Reyes, as he got Infante to pop out to short, putting into effect the infield fly rule, then striking out Hanley Ramirez on a called third strike, followed by him throwing a scoreless ninth, getting pinch hitter Greg Dobbs to fly out to center for the game’s final out.

Kyle Kendrick (2-4, 4.02) got the win as he threw five and one-third innings, giving up two runs on eight hits and three walks, while strucking out four. Chad Qualls collected his tenth hold of the year as he threw two-thirds of an inning, getting out both men that he would face. Jose Contreras pitched to one batter, before being taken out of the game with an elbow injury. Antonio Bastardo collected his eleventh hold of the season as he pitched an inning, plus three batters, giving up two runs on two hits and a walk. Jake Diekman received his second hold of the year as he pitched a third of an inning, giving up two hits, while striking out a batter. Jonathan Papelbon collected his fifteenth save of the year as he threw an inning and two-thirds, giving up a hit, while striking out a batter. Mark Buehrle (5-5, 3.53) took the lost as he went five innings, giving up four runs on eleven hits, while he struck out two. Chad Gaudin pitched two innings, giving up two runs on three hits, a walk, a wild pitch and a balk, while striking out a batter. Randy Choate and Ryan Webb combined for a 1-2-3 inning.

The Phils had fourteen hits in the game, with Placido Polanco (2 Singles, Double), Hunter Pence (2 Singles, Home Run, 2 RBIs) and Carlos Ruiz (2 Singles, Double) all leading the ballclub with three hits each, followed by Hector Luna (Single, Double, 3 RBIs) with two hits. Jimmy Rollins (Single, RBI), Ty Wigginton (Single) and Freddy Galvis (Double) had the other three Phils’ hits. The Phils also had a walk in the game.

The Phils (28-25, 5th) will continue their series with the Marlins (29-23, T-2nd) with a game later this afternoon. The game, which will be nationally televised by Fox Sports, will be played at Citizens Bank Park, and will start at 4:05 pm EDT. Cole Hamels (8-1, 2.43) is coming off a win against the Mets on May 28, where he went eight innings, giving up four runs on seven hits and a walk, while striking out six, in the Phils’ 8-4 win. Hamels will be going for his ninth win of the year. The Marlins will counter with Ricky Nolasco (5-3, 4.26), who is coming off a lost to the Giants on May 27, as he threw seven innings, giving up three runs on five hits and two walks, while striking out two, in the Marlins’ 3-2 lost. He will be trying to even up the series. The Phils will be out to make Hamels the majors’ first nine-game winner.

A charge in the late innings, after suffering through an almost two-hours rain delay, before playing most of the game in a light rain, the Phils defeat the Braves, 6-3, to once again place themselves nine and a half games ahead in the NL East.

The Phils took the lead in the first as, with two men out, Chase Utley hits a solo home run to center field through the teeth of the wind, his tenth home run of the season, giving the Phils a 1-o lead. Three batters later, with two men on, and with still two men out, the Phils made it a 2-0 lead as Raul Ibanez hits a bloop single, scoring Ryan Howard, who had earlier singled, then stopped at second base on Hunter Pence’s single, while sending Pence, who had just singled, up to third base. The Braves cut the Phils’ lead down to 2-1 in the fourth as Dan Uggla hits a lead-off home run, his thirty-third home run of the year. The Braves tied the game up at two-all in the sixth as, with the bases loaded, via a walk to Uggla, a double by Chipper Jones, sending Uggla to third base, and a walk to Freddie Freeman, and with nobody out, Alex Gonzalez hits a sacrifice fly, scoring Uggla. The Phils retook the lead in their half of the sixth as, with runners on second and third, and with nobody out, Howard, who had started the inning off with a walk, and then stopped at third base on Pence’s double, would score on Tim Hudson’s wild pitch, giving the Phils a 3-2 lead, while Pence, who had just doubled, would move up to third base. The Phils then made it a 4-2 lead as Ibanez hits an RBI double, scoring Pence. The Braves would cut the Phils’ lead down to 4-3 in the seventh as, with runners onn the corners, and with one man out, Uggla hits into an RBI force out, 5-4, wiping out Brian McCann, who had just walked, at second base for the inning’s second out, as he knocked in Michael Bourn, who had started the inning off with a double, then stole third. The Phils got the run back in their half of the seventh as, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, Howard hits an RBI ground out, three-unassisted, scoring Shane Victorino, who had earlier singled, moved up to second base when Placido Polanco was hit by the pitch, then went to third on Utley’s force out, 4-6, wiping out Polanco at second base for the inning’s first out, giving the Phils a 5-3 lead, while sending Utley, who had beaten the throw to first on his force out, thanks to Polanco’s take out slide, up to second base. Two batters later, after Pence had gotten on base with a walk, Ibanez hits an RBI single, scoring Utley, making it a 6-3 Phils’ lead, while moving Pence up to second base. That would be the final score as Ryan Madson recorded his twenty-eighth save of the year with a scoreless ninth.

Vance Worley (11-1, 2.85) gets the win as he pitched six innings, giving up two runs on seven hits and three walks, while striking out six. Michael Stutes recorded his tenth hold of the season as he pitched an inning, giving up a run on a hit and a walk. Brad Lidge recorded his fifth hold of the year as he pitched a scoreless inning, as he gave up a hit, while striking out three. Ryan Madson received his twenty-eighth save of the season as he pitched a scoreless ninth, giving up a hit, while striking out one. Tim Hudson (14-9, 3.14) took the lost as he pitched six innings, giving up four runs on six hits and four walks, while striking out five. Cristhian Martinez pitched an inning, giving up two runs on two hits, two walks and a hit batter, while striking out one. Anthony Varvaro pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit.

The Phils had nine hits in the ballgame, with Raul Ibanez leading the team with three hits, two singles and a double, knocking in three runs. Hunter Pence followed with two hits, a single and a double. Shane Victorino (Single), Placido Polanco (Single), Chase Utley (Home Run, RBI) and Ryan Howard (Single, RBI) had the other four Phils’ hits. The other Phil run came in on a wild pitch.

The Phils (90-48, 1st) will conclude their three-game series with the Braves (82-59, 2nd) with a night game tonight. The game will start at Citizens Bank Park and will begin at 7:05 pm EDT. The Phils will send to the mound Roy Oswalt (7-8, 3.80), who is coming off a win against the Marlins on September 2, as he went six and a third innings, giving up three runs on eight hits and a walk, while striking out seven, in the Phils’ 5-3 win. He will be trying to even up his record while trying to lead the Phils to a sweep. The Braves will counter with Brandy Beachy (7-2, 3.37), who is coming off a no-decision against the Dodgers on September 2, as he pitched six innings, giving up three runs on four hits and three walks, while striking out seven, in the Braves’ 8-6 lost. He will be trying to keep the Braves from being swept. The Phils will be out to sweep the Braves.

The Phils lose the use of another starter because of another long rain delay before losing to the Nats in 10 innings, thanks to a walk-off bases loaded hit by the pitch, 5-4.

The Nats took the lead in the first as, with runners on the corners, and with nobody out, Ryan Zimmerman hits a sacrifice fly, scoring Ian Desmond, who had started off the game for the Nats with a double, then went to third on Rick Ankiel’s single, giving the Nats a 1-0 lead. The Nats then added to their lead as, with once again runners on the corners, as Ankiel would go to third on Michael Morse’s single, and now with two men out, Danny Espiniosa hits an RBI single, knocking in Ankiel, giving the Nats a 2-0 lead, while sending Morse up to second base. The Phils then tied the game up at two-all as, with one man on, and with nobody out, Carlos Ruiz hits a two-run home run, his fifth home run of the season, knocking in Raul Ibanez, who had earlier reached base on an infield single. The Phils took the lead in the third as, with one man out, Chase Utley hits a solo home run, his ninth home run of the year, giving the Phils a 3-2 lead. In the top of the sixth, the game would be delayed by rain for over an hour, causing both clubs to remove their starters, Roy Halladay for the Phils and Chien-Ming Wang for the Nats. In the bottom of the sixth, the Nats would tie the game up at three-all as Espinosa hits a lead-off home run, his eighteenth home run of the season. The Phils would retake the lead in the ninth as, with two men on, and with one man out, Michael Martinez hits an RBI single, knocking in Ibanez, who had earlier walked, then stopped at second base on Ruiz’s single, giving the Phils a 4-3 lead, while sending Ruiz, who had just singled, up to second base. The Nats would retie the game up at four-all in their half of the ninth as, with two men out, Desmond hits a solo home run, his fifth home run of the season. The Nats would win the game in the tenth as, with the bases loaded, via a Zimmerman double, an intentional walk of Morse, and a single by Jayson Werth, which moved both runners up a base, and with one man out, as Brad Lidge struck out, swinging, Espinosa, for the inning’s first out, Jonny Gomes, with a 1-0 count, is hit by the next pitch, forcing in Zimmerson, giving the Nats a 5-4 walk-off win.

Roy Halladay gets a no-decision, thanks to the hour plus rain delay, as he went five innings, giving up two runs on seven hits, as he struck out five. Michael Schwimer, making his major league debut, blew his first save opportunity of the year as he pitched three innings, giving up a run on two hits, while striking out four. Antonio Bastardo committed his first blown save of the season as he pitched an inning, giving up a run on a hit, as he struck out the side. Brad Lidge (0-1, 2.25) took the lost as he pitched a third of an inning, giving up a run on two hits, a walk and a hit batter, while he struck out one. Chien-Ming Weng also received a no-decision, thanks to the long rain delay, as he pitched five and two-thirds innings, giving up three runs on five hits and a walk, while he struck out four. Tom Gorzelanny pitched a third of an inning, getting out the only man that he would face. Todd Coffey and Tyler Clippard would combine for two scoreless innings, giving up a hit (Clippard), while striking out one (Coffey) batter between them. Drew Storen pitched an inning, giving up a run on two hits and a walk, while striking out two. Sean Burnett (4-5, 4.63) gets the win as he pitched a 1-2-3 inning, striking out a batter.

The Phils had eight hits in the ballgame, with Shane Victorino (Singles) and Carlos Ruiz (Single, Home Run, 2 RBIs) both leading the team with two hits each. Chase Utley (Home Run, RBI), Ryan Howard (Single), Raul Ibanez (Single) and Michael Martinez (Single, RBI), had the other four Phils’ hits.

The Phils (81-44, 1st) will start a three games series with the Mets (60-66, 4th), starting with a night game tonight. The game will be played at Citizens Bank Park, and will begin at 7:05 pm EDT. The Phils will send to the mound Cliff Lee (13-7, 2.82), who is coming off a win against the D-backs on August 17, as he went seven strong innings, giving up just two runs on three hits and two walks, while striking out seven, in the Phils’ 9-2 rout. He will be going for his fourth straight win, while hoping to give the bullpen a rest, after the way it was messed up thanks to the rains of the previous four days. The Mets will counter with Dillon Gee (11-4, 3.92), who is coming off a win against the Padres on August 17, as he went six and two-thirds innings, giving up a run on five hits and four walks, while striking out five, in the Mets’ 7-3 win. He will be trying to confound the Phils. The Phils will be out to take last weekend’s embarrassment out on the Mets.

The Phils, after having to wait over two hours for the rain to leave, win their eightieth game, as they beat the D-backs, 4-1.

The Phils took the lead in the second as, with two men on, and with two me out, Wilson Valdez hits an RBI double, knocking in Raul Ibanez. who had earlier doubled, while sending Brian Schneider, who had just walked, on to third base, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead. The Phils then made it a 3-0 lead in the third as, with one man on, and with nobody out, John Mayberry, Jr. hits a two-run home run, his tenth home run of the season, knocking in Jimmy Rollins, who had earlier singled. After the end of the inning, the ground crew put the tarp onto the infield, just moments before it started to rain, at times coming down in buckets, delaying the game for over two hours before play finally resumed. The Phils then added to their lead in the fifth as, with one man on, and with two men out, Ibanez hits an RBI double, knocking in Chase Utley, who had earlier doubled, giving the Phils a 4-0 lead. The D-backs got on the board in the eighth as Paul Goldschmidt hits a solo home run, his fourth home run of the season, cutting the Phils’ lead down to 4-1. That would end up being the final score as Ryan Madson collected his twenty-third save of the year as he pitched a 1-2-3 ninth.

Vance Worley received a no-decision as he pitched three strong innings, before the two-hour plus rain delay, giving up just a hit, while striking out two. David Herndon (1-2, 3.79) got the win as he pitched three scoreless innings after the deluge, giving up a hit, while striking out four. Michael Stutes pitched an inning plus one batter, giving up a run on a hit and a walk, while striking out a batter. Antonio Bastardo collected his thirteenth hold of the year as he pitched a scoreless inning, striking out two. Ryan Madson received his twenty-third save of the year as he pitched a 1-2-3 inning, striking out a batter. Ian Kennedy (15-4, 3.22) took the lost as he also pitched only three innings, thanks to the long rain delay, giving up three runs on five hits and two walks, while striking out four. Micah Owings also pitched three innings after the rain had stopped, giving up a run on two hits and a walk, while he struck out four. Bryan Shaw, Joe Paterson and David Hernandez combined for two scoreless innings, giving up a walk (Shaw), while striking out a batter (Shaw) between them.

The Phils had seven hits in the ballgame, with both Chase Utley (Single, Double) and Raul Ibanez (Doubles, RBI) both leading the team with two hits apiece. Jimmy Rollins (Single), John Mayberry, Jr. (Home Run, 2 RBIs) and Wilson Valdez (Double, RBI), had the other three Phils’ hits. This would be the first game, since the trade, in which Hunter Pence would not get a hit, and the Phils would end up winning the game.

The Phils (80-42, 1st) will now begin a short three-game road trip with the Nats (59-63, 4th), starting tonight with a night game. The game will be played at Nationals Park and will start at 7:05 pm EDT. The Phils will send to the mound Roy Oswalt (5-7, 3.84), who is coming off a win against the Nats on August 13, as he pitched seven innings, giving up three runs on six hits and a walk, while he struck out five, in the Phils’ 11-3 rout. He will be going for his second straight win since coming off the DL. The Nats will counter with Livan Hernandez (7-11, 4.21), who is coming off a win against the Phils on August 12, as he went six and two-thirds innings, giving up an unearned run on four hits and a walk, while striking out three, in the Nats’ 4-2 win. He hopes to once again stifle the Phils’ offense. The Phils plan to increase their present winning streak at the Nats expense.

The Phils allow a win to get away from them as they lose to the Cubs in extra-innings, 4-3.

The Phils took a 3-0 lead as, with two men on, and with two men out, Jimmy Rollins hits a three-run home run, his fourth home run of the year, scoring Raul Ibanez, who had earlier singled, then moved up to second base on Dane Sardinha’s walk, and Sardinha, who had just walked. After an hour plus rain delay in the bottom of the third, the Cubs slowly chipped away at the Phils’ lead. The Cubs got on the board in the sixth as, with one man on, and with two men out, Starlin Castro hits an RBI single, knocking in Darwin Barney, who had earlier been hit by the pitch, and then stole second base, making it a 3-1 Phils’ lead. The Cubs then cut the Phils’ lead down to 3-2 in the eighth as, with a man on second base, and with two men out, Carlos Pena hits an RBI double, scoring Castro, who had earlier doubled. The Cubs then tied the game up at three-all in the ninth as, with one man out, Geovany Soto hits a solo home run, his fourth home run of the year. One batter later, it looked like the Cubs had taken a 4-3 lead as Tyler Colvin hits a fly ball into the right field seats. But, the call was overturned when instant reply showed that a fan had reached over the fence to catch the ball, and then pulled it in, as Colvin is instead given a ground-rule double, while the fan was ejected for fan interference. The Cubs took the lead in the eleventh as, with a man on second, and with two men out, Placido Polanco committed a throwing error to first on a Barney ground ball, allowing Colvin, who had earlier singled, then went to second base on a Carlos Ruiz passed ball, to score, giving the Cubs a 4-3 lead. That would end up being the final sc0re as Carlos Marmol collected his twelfth save of the year as he put down the Phils in the bottom of the eleventh.

Kyle Kendrick received a no-decision as he pitched three scoreless innings, giving up two hits, while striking out two. Danys Baez pitched two and two-thirds innings, giving up a run on a hit, a hit batter and a walk, while he struck out one. J.C. Romero collected his third hold of the year as he got out the only man that he would face. Michael Stutes received his sec0nd hold of the season as he pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up a hit and a walk, while striking out a batter. Antonio Bastardo collected his sixth hold of the season, as he pitched two-thirds of an inning. Jose Contreras collected his fourth hold of the year as he pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up a run on two hits. Ryan Madson blew his first save of the season as he pitched an inning, giving up a run on two hits and a walk, while striking out one. David Herndon (0-1, 5.30) took the lost as he went two innings, giving up a run on three hits, while striking out three, as the bullpen could not hold onto the lead. Randy Wells also received a no-decision as he went two and a third innings, thanks to the rain delay, giving up three runs on three hits and two walks, as he struck out two. Rodrigo Lopez, James Russell and John Grabow combined for six scoreless innings, giving up two hits (Lopez) and three walks (Lopez (1), Grabow (2)), while striking out two (Russell and Grabow one each), between them. Sean Marshall (3-0, 0.95) got the win as he pitched two scoreless innings, giving up a hit and two walks, while striking out four. Carlos Marmol recorded his twelfth of the season as he pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit.

The Phils had only seven hits in the game, with Raul Ibanez leading the team with two hits, both singles. Jimmy Rollins (Home Run, 3 RBIs), Placido Polanco (Single), Chase Utley (Single), Shane Victorino (Single) and Carlos Ruiz (Single), had the other five Phils’ hits.

The Phils (37-26, 1st East) continue their series with the Cubs (25-36, 5th Central) with a night game tonight at Citizens Bank Park. The game will start at 7:05 pm EDT. The Phils will send to their mound their ace Roy Halladay (8-3, 2.56), who is coming off a victory against the Pirates on June 5, as he went seven innings, giving up two runs on six hits and a walk, as he struck out six, in the Phils’ 7-3 win. He will be going for win no. 9. The Cubs will counter with Carlos Zambrano (5-2, 3.98), who is coming off a no-decision against the Cardinals on June 5, as he went seven innings, giving up a run on five hits and two walks, while striking out three, in the Cubs’ 3-2 extra-innings lost. He will be trying to increase the Phils’ present losing streak. The Phils will be trying to recover from last night’s lost.

The Phils took the weekend series from the Nats, losing one blow out on Saturday, 8-1, before winning another blow out on Sunday, 6-0.

On Saturday, the Nats took the lead in the first as, with the bases loaded, via a single by Ian Desmond, a walk to Adam Dunn, which sent Desmond to second base, a ground out by Ryan Zimmerman, 4-3, which moved both Desmond and Dunn up a base, and a walk to Roger Bernadina, and with two men out, Adam Kennedy receives an RBI walk, forcing in Desmond, giving the Nats a 1-0 lead, while moving both Dunn and Kennedy up a base. The Nats then made it a 3-0 lead as, with the bases still loaded, Ivan Rodriguez hits an RBI single, knocking in both Dunn and Bernadina, while sending Kennedy up to second base. The Nats then added to their lead in the third as, with runners on the corners, and with nobody out, Kennedy hits an RBI single, knocking in Zimmerman, who had earlier doubled, and then went to third on Bernadina’s single, giving the Nats a 4-0 lead, while sending Bernadina, who had just singled, to second base. Three batters later, with the bases now loaded, via an infield single by Rodriguez, moving both Bernadina and Kennedy up a base, and with one man out, Nats’ starter Stephen Strasburg hits into a force out, 4-6, wiping out Rodriguez at second base for the second out of the inning, before Strasburg beats Jimmy Rollins’ throw to first, allowing Bernadina to score, giving the Nats a 5-0 lead, while Kennedy would move up to third as Strasburg would be safe at first. The Phils would get a run back in the fourth as, with a runner on third, and with one man out, Ryan Howard, in his first game back from the dl, hits into an RBI ground out, 4-3, knocking in Placido Polanco, who would lead-off the inning with a double, then moved to third on Chase Utley’s ground out, 4-3, making it a 5-1 Nats’ lead. The Nats then put the game away for good in the ninth as, with two men on, and with one man out, Bernadina hits a three-run home run, his eighth home run of the year, scoring Desmond, who had earlier singled, then moved up to second on Dunn’s walk, and Justin Maxwell, who was pinch running for Dunn, giving the Nats an 8-1 lead. That would be the final score as Miguel Batista would end the game by getting pinch hitter Jayson Werth to fly out to center for the game’s final out.

Kyle Kendrick took the lost as he pitches five and two-thirds innings, giving up five runs on nine hits and four walks, while striking out two. His record is now 8-6 with a 4.58 ERA. J.C. Romero pitches an inning and a third of shut out ball, getting out all four men that he would face, one by strikeout. Jose Contreras pitches a scoreless inning, giving up a hit, while striking out a batter. Chad Durbin pitches an inning, giving up three runs on two hits and a walk, while striking out two. Stephen Strasburg receives a no-decision as he pitches four and one third innings, before being taking out because of an injury, as he gives up a run on two hits, while striking out six. Craig Stammen pitches a scoreless inning, giving up a hit. Doug Slaten gets the win as he pitches one and two-thirds scoreless innings, striking out two. His record is now 3-1 with an ERA of 2.76. Tyler Clippard and Miguel Batista combine for two scoreless innings, giving up a hit (Clippard), and two walks (Batista) between them, while striking out two batters (one each).

The Phils had only four hits in the game, doubles by Jimmy Rollins, Placido Polanco and Ben Francisco and a single by Ryan Howard, with Howard knocking in the Phils’ only run on a ground out. The Phils’ offense was easily handled on Saturday.

On Sunday, the Nats tried to take another early lead in the first as Nyger Morgan lead-off the game with a single, stole second and then went to third on Desmond’s ground out, 6-3, with now one man out. But Phils’ starter Roy Oswalt ended the threat by striking out both Dunn, who was called out on strikes, and then Zimmerman swinging. The Phils then took the lead in their half of the first as, with a runner on third, and with one man out, Polanco hits a sacrifice fly, scoring Rollins, who had earlier doubled, then went to third on Raul Ibanez’s ground out, 6-3, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead. The Phils then added to their lead in the third as, with a man on second, and with two men out, Polanco hits an RBI single, knocking in Oswalt, who had earlier singled, and then went to second on Rollins’ ground out, 1-3, giving the Phils a 2-0 lead. The Phils then took a 4-0 lead in the sixth as, with the bases loaded, via a single to Howard, Werth hitting into a force out, 1-6, wiping out Howard at second, a double by Shane Victorino. with Werth stopping at third and an intentional walk to Carlos Ruiz, and with two men out, Wilson Valdez hits a two-run single, knocking in both Werth and Victorino, while sending Ruiz up to second base. After an hour and forty-four minutes rain delay, the Phils would put the game out of reach in the seventh as, with one man on, and with nobody out, Ibanez hits a two-run bomb to right, his twelfth home run of the year, knocking in Rollins, who had singled before the rain started, making it a 6-0 Phils’ lead. That would be the final score as J.C. Romero would come in to pitch a 1-2-3 ninth, striking out Bernadina looking, to end the game.

Roy Oswalt gets the win as he pitches seven shut out innings, giving up just five hits and a walk, while striking out eight. His record is now 3-1 (9-13) with a 2.43 (3.22) ERA. Ryan Madson and J.C. Romero pitches two 1-2-3 innings, striking out three between them (Madson (1), Romero (2)). Scott Olsen took the lost as he pitches six innings, giving up four runs on nine hits and two walks, while striking out three. His record is now 3-6 with a 5.21 ERA. Craig Stammen pitches an inning, giving up two runs on three hits and a walk. Joel Peralta pitches a 1-2-3 inning, striking out one.

The Phils had twelve hits in the game, with Jimmy Rollins, Placido Polanco, Shane Victorino and Roy Oswalt each leading the team with two hits apiece, with Rollins and Victorino’s two hits being each a single and a double, while Polanco and Oswalt’s two hits were both singles, with Polanco knocking in two runs, one of them by a sac fly. Raul Ibanez, Ryan Howard, Carlos Ruiz and Wilson Valdez had the other four Phils’ hits, with Ibanez’s hit being a two-run home run, while Howard, Ruiz and Wilson’s hits were singles, with Wilson knocking in two runs. The Phils’ offense got rolling yesterday.

The Phils (70-53, 2nd East) with be hosting the Astros (54-69, 4th Central) for four games, starting tonight. The game will be played at Citizens Bank Park and will begin at 7:05 pm Eastern. The Phils will send to the mound Joe Blanton (5-6, 5.54), who is coming off a win against the Giants on August 18, as he pitched six and a third innings, giving up two runs on eight hits, while striking out seven, in the Phils’ 8-2 win. In his last three starts, his record is 1-0 with two no-decisions, as he pitched nineteen innings, giving up eight runs on twenty-three hits and four walks, while striking out fourteen. He will be trying to even up his record. The Astros will counter with ex-Phil Brett Myers (8-7, 3.11), who is coming off a no-decision against the Mets on August 18, where he pitched seven innings, giving up two runs on seven hits and three walks, while striking out four in the Astros’ 3-2 lost. In his last three starts, his record is 0-1 with two no-decisions, as he pitched twenty innings, giving up seven runs on twenty-one hits and four walks, while striking out thirteen. He’ll be trying to make good on his promise of sticking it to his old team, if his new team will be willing to score runs. The Phils will be out to make Myers eat his pre-season statement.

The Phils win their series with the Rockies with a rout on Saturday, 10-2 behind Kyle Kendrick, and then with a wierd win on Sunday, 4-3, as J.A. Happ returns to the team from the minors.

On Saturday, the Phils took a 7-0 lead in the third inning as they send eleven men to the plate. After Jimmy Rollins started the inning off with a single, and then stole second been, and Placido Polanco and Raul Ibanez followed with walks, loading the bases, as Rollins went to third, and with nobody out, Ryan Howard gave the Phils the lead with a bases clearing triple, scoring Rollins, Polanco and Ibanez, giving the Phils a 3-0 lead. The Phils then made it 4-0 as Howard would score on a Ubaldo Jimenez’s wild pitch. After Jayson Werth and Shane Victorino are walked, Jimenez is replaced by Matt Belisle. Greg Dobbs greets Belisle with an RBI single, scoring Werth, making it a 5-0 Phils’ lead, while sending Victorino up to second base. After Brian Schneider hits into a force out, 6-4, wiping out Dobbs at second for the inning’s first out, as Victorino moved up to third base and Kyle Kendrick moves Schneider to second on a sacrifice bunt, 2-4, for the inning’s second out, Rolllins made it a 7-0 Phils’ lead with a two-run triple, scoring Victorino and Schneider. The Rockies got a run back in the fifth as Ian Stewart hits a lead-off home run, his fourteenth home run of the year, making it a 7-1 Phils’ lead. The Phils added to their lead in the sixth as, with a runner on second and with one man out, Ibanez hits a two-run home run, scoring Polanco, who had eariler doubled, giving the Phils a 9-1 lead. The Phils made it 10-1 in the seventh as, with a man on second and with two men out, Rollins hits an RBI single, scoring pinch hitter Ben Francisco, who had earlier doubled. The Rockies made it a 10-2 Phils’ lead in the eighth as, with one man on, and with two men out, Carlos Gonzalez hits an RBI double, scoring Ryan Spilborghs, who had earlier doubled. That would be the final score as rookie Vance Worley made his major league debut pitching a 1-2-3 inning, recording two strikeouts.

Kyle Kendrick gets the win as he pitches seven strong innings coming back from Lehigh Valley, giving up only one run on six hits and one walk, while striking out three. His record is now 6-4 with a 4.60 ERA. Jose Contreras pitches an inning, giving up a run on two hits, while striking out a batter. Vance Worley, as he made his major league debut before being sent to Lehigh Valley, pitches a 1-2-3 inning, striking out two batters. Ubaldo Jimenez took the lost, as he lasts only two innings, plus six batters, giving up six runs on just three hits, six walks and a wild pitch, while he strikes out only two. His record is now 15-2 with a 2.75 ERA. Matt Belisle pitches three innings, giving up a run on three hits, as he strikes out a batter. Taylor Buchholz pitches an inning, giving up two runs on two hits and a walk, while striking out two. Joe Beimel pitches an inning, giving up a run on three hits, while striking out a batter. Huston Street pitches a 1-2-3 inning.

The Phils had eleven hits in the game, with Jimmy Rollins leading the team with three hits, two singles and a triple, as he knocks in three runs. Placido Polanco and Jayson Werth both follow with two hits each, with both men getting a single and a double. Raul Ibanez, Ryan Howard, Greg Dobbs and pinch hitter Ben Francisco had the other four Phils’ hits, with Ibanez’s hit being a two-run home run, Howard’s hit being a three-run triple, Dobbs’ hit being an RBI single, and Francisco’s hit being a double. The other Phil’s run came in on a wild pitch.

On Sunday, the Rockies took the lead in the second as, with the bases loaded, via a double to Spilborghs, a single to Stewart, sending Spilborghs to third, and a walk to Miguel Olivo, and with one man out, Clint Barmes hits a sacrifice fly, knocking in Spilborghs, giving the Rockies a 1-0 lead. The Phils took the lead in their half of the second as, with a runner on base, and with one man out, Francisco hits a two-run home run, his third home run of the season, knocking in Werth, who had earlier singled, to give the Phils a 2-1 lead. The Rockies regain the lead in the fourth as, with a man on, and with nobody out, Spilborghs hits a two-run home run, his ninth home run of the season, scoring Melvin Mora, who had earlier walled, to give the Rockies a 3-2 lead. After the game was held up for over ninety minutes by a rain delay, the Phils regained the lead in the seventh. Pinch hitter Wilson Valdez started the inning off with a pinch hit ground-rule double, before scoring on an RBI single by Rollins, tying the game up at three-all, before he moved up to second on a fielding error by Gonzalez. Four batters later, with runners on the corners, via Rollins stealing third, and Howard walking, and with two men out, Rollins scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch by Rafael Betancourt, as Betancourt did not cover home plate, giving the Phils a 4-3 lead. That would be the final score as Brad Lidge would record his ninth save of the year as he got out of a bases loaded jam, via a walk to Jonathan Herrera, a single to Mora, sending Herrera to second, and a walk to pinch hitter Jason Giambi, moving both Herrera and Mora up a base, and with two men out, by striking out Stewart on a call third strike.

J.A. Happ, coming back from elbow injury, pitches five innings, giving up three runs on four hits and four walks, while striking out four, getting a no-decision. Chad Durbin pitches a scoreless inning, giving up a hit, while striking out a batter. Ryan Madson gets the win as he pitches a scoreless inning, giving up two hits, while striking out two. His record is now 3-1 with a 5.51 ERA. Jose Contreras receives his eight hold of the year as he pitches two-thirds of an inning, getting out the two men that he would face. J.C. Romero receives his fifth hold of the season as he pitches a third of an inning, striking out the one man that he would face. Brad Lidge would records his ninth save of the year, as he pitches a scoreless inning, giving up a hit and two walks, while striking out three. Jeff Francis also receives a no-decision as he pitches five innings, giving up two runs on six hits and a walk, while striking out six. Manuel Corpas collects his second hold of the year as he pitches a scoreless inning, giving up a hit, while striking out one. Joe Beimel blew his first save of the season before taking the lost as he pitches two-thirds of an inning, giving up two runs, one of which were earned, on two hits and walk. His record is now 1-1 with a 2.67 ERA. Rafael Betancout pitches a scoreless inning and a third, giving up a hit and throwing a wild pitch.

The Phils had ten hits in the game, with Jimmy Rollins, Jayson Werth and Ben Francisco leading the club with two hits each. Rollins’ hits were both singles, knocking in a run, while Werth’s hits were a single and a double and Francisco’s hits were a two-run home run and a double. Ryan Howard, pinch hitter Raul Ibanez, pinch hitter Ross Gload and pinch hitter Wilson Valdez had the other four Phils’ hits, with Ryan’s hit being a single, and Ibanez, Gload and Valdez’s hits being pinch hit doubles, with Valdez’s being a ground-rule double. The last Phil run scored on a wild pitch. The Phils’ offense seems to have responded to the firing of hitting coach Milt Thompson, as they have now won four straight games, and seven straight at home.

The Phils (52-46, 2nd NL East) conclude their series with the Rockies (51-47, 4th NL West), going for the series sweep, with an afternoon game, already in progress, with the Phils leading in the eighth inning.

The Phils’ offense, helped by some sloppy play by the Indians’ defense, routed the last place Indians, as they sweep the interleague series between the two teams, 12-3.

The Phils took the lead in the second as, with the bases loaded, via singles by Jayson Werth, Raul Ibanez and Wilson Valdez, and with nobody out, catcher Carlos Santana committed a missed catch error of third baseman Andy Marte’s force attempt throw on a Dane Sardinha ground ball, as it tipped off of Santana’s glove as he tried to get out of the way, allowing Werth and Ibanez to score, giving the Phils a 2-0 lead, while sending Valdez up to third, as Sardinha stopped at second on the error. Two batters later, with the bases once again loaded as Joe Blanton is hit by the pitch, and still with nobody out, Victorino hit into an RBI ground out, 1-3, for the first out of the inning, scoring Valdez, making it a 3-0 Phils’ lead, while moving Sardinha up to third and Blanton to second base. The Phils then made it 4-0 as, with two men on base, and with one man out, Placido Polanco hits an RBI single, scoring Sardinha, while sending Blanton on to third. The Phils then made it 5-0 as, once again with two men and with still one man out, Chase Utley hits a sacrifice fly, scoring Blanton. The Indians cut the Phils’ lead down to 5-2 in the fifth as, with one man on and with one man out, Jason Donald hits a two-run home run, his second home run of the year, knocking in Luis Valbuena, who was earlier safe on a force out, 4-6, as Shelley Ducan, who had earlier singled, was forced out at second. The Phils would get the runs back in their half of the fifth as, with runners on the corners, and with nobody out, Ryan Howard reaches first on a fielder’s choice grounder to first baseman Russell Branyan, allowing Polanco, who had earlier singled, and then went to third on Utley’s single, to score, giving the Phils a 6-2 lead, while Utley, who had earlier singled, would be safe at second base. One batter later, with two men on base, and with still two men out, Werth hits an RBI single, knocking in Utley, making it 7-2 Phils, while Howard would stop at second. The Phils then broke the game wide open in the sixth as Sardinha started the inning off with a lead-off home run, his first of his major league career and the season, making it an 8-2 Phils’ lead. Three batters later, with one man on and with one out, Polanco would hit an RBI double, knocking in Victorino, who had earlier singled, making it a 9-2 Phils’ lead. Three batters later, with the bases loaded, via an infield single to Utley, sending Polanco to third, and a walk to Howard, sending Utley to third, and with still one man out, Werth hits a sacrifice fly, scoring Polanco, making it 10-2 Phils, while sending Utley to third. Two batters later, with the bases loaded again as Ibanez walks, moving Howard up to second, and now with two men out, Valdez hits a two-run single, knocking in both Utley and Howard, giving the Phils a 12-2 lead, while Ibanez stops at third. The Indians then added a run in the eighth as, with one man on and with one man out, Trevor Crowe hits an RBI double, knocking in Donald, who had earlier doubled, making it a 12-3 Phils’ lead. After Blanton got Anderson Hernandez to strikeout swinging, the rains came down in a deluge. The rains would last for over an hour before play resume, with Nelson Figueroa, who has been called up from Lehigh Valley just hours earlier, took the mound in relief of Blanton. Figueroa would proceed to get out the four men whom he would face, leaving the game as a 12-3 Phils’ win.

Joe Blaton gets the win as he pitches seven and two-thirds strong innings, before being taken out because of the deluge, giving up three runs on six hits, while he strikes out eight. His record is now 3-5 with an ERA of 6.53. Nelson Figueroa pitches a scoreless inning and one-third, striking out a batter. Fausto Carmona took the lost as he went only four innings, plus four batters, giving up seven runs, five of which were earned, on nine hits. His record is now 6-6 with 3.64 ERA. Hector Ambriz pitches an inning and two-thirds, giving up five runs on five hits and two walks. Jensen Lewis and Joe Smith combine for two and one-thirds scoreless innings, giving up two hits (Lewis), while striking out two (one each).

The Phils burst out with fifteen hits, with Placido Polanco leading the team with four hits, as he had three singles and a double, knocking in two runs. Chase Utley and Jayson Werth follows with three hits apiece, all singles, as Utley knocked in a run, while Werth scored two runs. Wilson Valdez is next with two hits, both singles, as he knocks in two runs. Shane Victorino, Raul Ibanez and Dane Sardinha had the other three Phils’ hits, with Victorino and Ibanez’s hits being singles, with Victorino knocking in a run, while Sardinha’s hit was his first career home run, a solo shot. Ryan Howard also knocked in a run on a fielder’s choice ground ball, while the other two runs came in on an error.

The Phillies (38-32, 3rd NL East) will finish Interleague Play with a three-game series against the Blue Jays (39-34, 4th AL East) with the Phils as the away team, although playing the series in Philadelphia, thanks to the security worries of the G20 Summit that is being held this weekend in Toronto, Canada. The Phils presently have an 8-0 lead after five innings.

J.A. Happ pitched a strong five and two-thirds innings, as the Phils’ offense unloaded in a six-run fifth, as the Phils defeated the Brewers, 9-4. Their magic number over the Braves is now at four.

The Phils took the lead in the first inning as, with one man on, and with two men out, Ryan Howard hits an RBI single, knocking in Chase Utley, who was safe on a force out, 4-6, as Shane Victorino, who had earlier singled, was wiped out at second, to give the Phils a 1-0 lead. The Brewers tied the game at one-all in the third as, with a runner on third, and with two men out, Felipe Lopez hits an RBI infield single off of J.A. Happ’s leg, as Howard was unable to handle Utley’s throw, scoring Jason Kendall, who had earlier tripled on a ball that Ben Francisco was unable to catch. The Phils regained the lead in the fourth as, with a man on base, and with nobody out, Pedro Feliz hits an RBI double, knocking in Francisco, who had earlier doubled, giving the Phils a 2-1 lead. The Phils then blew the game wide open in the fifth. With two men on, and with one out, Feliz hits an RBI single, scoring Jayson Werth, who had earlier reached base on a throwing error, and then went to second on Francisco’s single, making it a 3-1 Phils’ lead, while Francisco, who had earlier singled, would move up to second. The next batter, Paul Bako, would give the Phils a 4-1 lead with an RBI single, knocking in Francisco, while sending Feliz to third. Happ then helped his own cause by hitting an RBI single, scoring Feliz, while sending Bako to second base, giving the Phils a 5-1 lead. Jimmy Rollins then finished the scoring by hitting a three-run home run, his twentieth home run of the season, knocking in both Bako and Happ, making it an 8-1 Phils’ lead. In the sixth, the Brewers threathen to score as, with one man on base, and with one out, Prince Fielder hits a fly ball off of the wall in center field, that was played off the bounce by Victorino, as Corey Hart, who had earlier singled, rounded second and was then sent home. Victorino threw a strike to Utley, who in turned threw a strike to Bako, who was covering the plate, before he tagged Hart out for the inning’s second out, 8-4-2, as Fielder stopped at second with a double. The next batter, Casey McGehee then followed with an RBI double, making it 8-2 Phils. The Phils would get the run back in the eighth as, with two men on, and with one out, Howard knocked in Rollins, who had earlier singled, had gone to second base on Victorino’s single and then went to third on Utley’s force out, 3-6, as Victorino was wiped out at second, as he was safe on a fielding error by Brewers’ second baseman Lopez, giving the Phils a 9-2 lead. The Brewers got one run back in the ninth as, with two men on base, and with one man out, Fielder hits into an RBI ground out, 4-3, for the inning’s second out, knocking in Lopez, who had earlier singled, moved to second on Howard’s missed catch error on Hart’s ground ball to Feliz, and reached third on Ryan Braun’s force out, 6-4, as Hart was wiped out at second base, making it a 9-3 Phils’ lead, while Braun who was safe on the force out and then would move up to second on defensive indifference, would move up to third. McGehee then made it a 9-4 Phils’ lead as he hits an RBI single, scoring Braun. Clay Condrey would finally end the game by getting Mike Cameron to fly out to right.

J.A. Happ got the win as he pitched five and two-thirds innings, giving up two runs on six hits and two walks, as he struck out seven, making a strong statement as a candidate for the NL Rookie of the Year. His record is now 11-4 with an ERA of 2.79. Chad Durbin and Tyler Walker would combine for two and one-third scoreless innings, giving up only two hits (Walker) and two walks (Durbin), while striking out two batters (Durbin (1), Walker (1)). Clay Condrey pitched an inning, giving up two runs on two hits. Jeff Suppan took the lost as he pitched four and one-third innings, giving up eight runs, seven of which were earned, on twelve hits and two walk, while striking out two. His record is now 7-11 with a 5.04 ERA. Chris Smith and Carlos Villanueva pitched a combined two and two-thirds scoreless innings, striking out four batters between them (all by Villanueva). Josh Butler pitched an inning, giving up a run on two hits, while striking out one. John Axford pitched a 1-2-3 inning, striking out a batter.

The Phillies had fourteen hits in the game, with Shane Victorino and Pedro Feliz leading the team with three hits apiece, with one of Feliz’s hits being a double as he knocked in two runs. Jimmy Rollins, Ben Francisco and Paul Bako all followed with two hits each, with one of Rollins’ hits being a three-run home run, while one of Francisco’s hits was a double. Ryan Howard and J.A. Happ had the other two Phils’ hits, with Howard knocking in two runs, and Happ bringing home one. Bako knocked in the other Phil’s run. The Phils’ offense ended up hurting Jeff Suppan once again before the Brew Crew was finally able to stop them.

The Phils (89-63, 1st East) continue their four-games series with the Brewers (75-78, 3rd Central) with another night game. The game will be played at Miller Park and will start at 8:05 pm Eastern (7:05 pm Central). The Phils will send to the mound Cliff Lee (14-11 (7-2), 2.99 (2.65)), who is coming off a no-decision against the Braves on September 20, when he pitched four innings in a rain-delayed game, giving up only a run on five hits, while striking out two, in the Phils’ 4-2 win. He will be taking out his frustrations of not being able to pitch the fifth inning in Atlanta for the win out on the Brewers, while trying to help lower the Phils’ magic number even more. He will be oppose by Manny Parra (10-10, 6.42), who is coming off a no-decision of his own against the Cardinals on September 8, where he pitched only an inning, giving up a hit and a walk, in the Brewers’ 4-3 lost. He will be trying to see if his neck is okay since being taken out of the Cardinal game on the 8th. The Phils will be trying to lower their magic numbers against both the Braves and the Marlins even more.

In spite of an hour plus long rain delay, the Phils’ bullpen pitched brillantly to help the Phils’ defeat the Braves, 4-2. Their magic number over both the Braves and the Marlins have now dropped to six.

The Braves took a quick 1-0 lead in the first as, with a runner on second, and with two men out, Matt Diaz hits an RBI single, scoring Martin Prado, who had earlier doubled. The Phils would tie the game up at one-all in the third as, with a runner on first, and with two men out, Ben Francisco, who was in the game after Shane Victorino had been ejected for arguing a call by the second base umpire when he was thrown out trying to steal second, hits an RBI double, knocking in Jimmy Rollins, who had earlier walked, and had been attempting to steal second. The Phils took the lead in the fourth as, with a runner on second and with one man out, Raul Ibanez hits an RBI double, knocking in Jayson Werth, who had earlier walked, and then stole second, giving the Phils a 2-1 lead. One batter later, Pedro Feliz knocked in Ibanez with an RBI single, making it a 3-1 Phils’ lead. In the fourth, the Phils would increase their lead as, with one man on, and with one man out, Chase Utley hits an RBI triple, knocking in Rollins, who had earlier doubled, and had gone to third on Francisco’s ground out off of the pitcher’s leg, 1-4-3, making it a 4-1 Phils’ lead. Then the game was stopped as the rain that had been falling all weekend in Atlanta had finally started to come down hard enough to have the tarp put on the field. The rain would stop almost two hours later, leading to the exit of both team’s starters, especially Phils’ starter Cliff Lee, who had been five hitting the Braves, keeping them off-balance since giving up the run in the first. The Phils’ bullpen then took over, shutting down the Braves for the next four innings, giving up no runs and only one hit and a walk before handing the ball over to Brad Lidge in the ninth. After taking care of the first two batters, Lidge gave up a walk to Brooks Conrad. After Conrad took second base on defensive indifference, pinch hitter Brian McCann knocked him in with an RBI single, making it a 4-2 Phils’ lead. But that would be it, as Lidge would then nailed down his thirty-first save of the year by striking out Nate McLouth.

Cliff Lee received a no-decision thanks to the rain delay, as he pitched four innings, giving up just one run on five hits, while striking out two. Tyler Walker picked up the win as he pitched two scoreless innings, giving up only one hit and a walk, while striking out three. His record is now 2-0 with an ERA of 2.35. Sergio Escalona received his first hold as he pitched two-thirds of an inning, striking out a batter. Clay Condrey pitched a third of an inning, getting out the only man he would face, collecting his seventh hold. Ryan Madson got his twenty-fifth hold as he pitched a 1-2-3 inning, striking out all three. Brad Lidge would record his thirty-first save of the season as he gave up a run on a hit and a walk, as he struck out two. Tommy Hanson took the lost as he pitched five innings, giving up four runs on seven hits and four walks, while he struck out seven. His record is now 10-4 with a 2.85 ERA. Kris Medlen, Boone Logan and Eric O’Flaherty combined for four shut out innings, giving up just three hits (one hit each) and a walk (Logan), while striking out two (O’Flaherty).

The Phils had ten hits in the game, with Pedro Feliz leading the way with two hits, knocking in a run, as he raised his batting average to .264. Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino, Ben Francisco, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Raul Ibanez, Paul Bako and pinch hitter John Mayberry, Jr., had the other eight Phils’ hits, with Rollins, Francisco, Ibanez, Howard and Mayberry’s hits all being doubles. Besides Pedro, Utley, Francisco and Ibanez had the Phils’ other three RBIs. With the win, the Phils have won ten of their last thirteen games since being swept by the Astros.

The Phils (87-61, 1st) have the day off today, with their next game being tomorrow afternoon as the first past of a twi-night doubleheader with the Marlins at Land Shark Stadium. The magic number to winning their third straight NL Eastern Division pennant is now at six.

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